Page 39 of Cherished By the Sinners

Chapter Twelve

Mason

Mason had never runso hard in all the years of his very long life.

He’d monitored his brother and Darlene as they sat together in the restaurant, but Magnus was called away to deal with the testosterone fest going on inside and outside the hotel’s main entrance way.

Then three of the Chinese ladies from this morning joined Darlene just as the vice cop was talking to her.

The slimy smile on his face said it wasn’t anything nice.

The ladies stayed with her, and then a bunch more showed up, with a table full of Japanese guests as well.

He’d breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Darlene laughing with the ladies.They had tea and desserts, and everyone seemed relaxed.Except for the vice cop’s two friends.They looked like they’d eaten something that didn’t agree with them.

Things got busy out on the street.The number of emergency vehicles multiplied.SWAT was on the scene now along with the bomb squad.

Magnus was dealing with some of them.They broke apart and Magnus pulled his phone out.

Mason’s phone rang.“What do they want?”he asked his brother.

“To use our lobby as a staging area and command center.”

“Did you give them permission?”

“Yes, any other response would have been as good as admitting we do shady shit on the side.”

“Did you tell Darlene?Ask her to go to her room?”

“I tried calling her, but no one picked up.I think she left her phone in her room.”

“Shit.”Mason watched the Chinese and Japanese guests herded Darlene out of the restaurant and toward the elevators.“Wait, our out of town guests are with her, heading for the elevators.”

“I asked Anna to ask the Chinese ladies to keep Darlene company.They probably got orders to return to their rooms as well.”

“Okay, they’ve split up.Darlene is taking the staff elevator up to her level.”Mason relaxed a little.

The two men who’d been sitting with the cop slipped around the corner and were waiting at the staff elevator.Where did they think they were going?

Mason texted a quick message to the security staff in the main lobby, asking them to escort the two strangers off hotel property.

He checked on Darlene’s progress.She got off on her floor and strolled toward her door.She looked tired, but there was a small smile on her face.He liked that smile.He liked it a lot.

The two men got on the elevator.It wouldn’t go anywhere without an employee badge.Were they just going to wait inside for a staff member and hitch a ride?

Darlene pulled Magnus’s suit coat around her and dipped her head down to suck in a deep breath.She stopped walking for a moment.